Benny Green

Growing up in Berkeley, Calif., Bennie Green was already such a fine pianist that he played with Joe Henderson as a teenager. Green has continually turned the heads of longtime jazz fans, while at the same time bringing in new listeners with his lightning-quick, clean approach that recalls Wynton Kelly and, especially, Oscar Peterson. But unlike these two towering figures, Green not only swings and bops, but occasionally embraces Free Jazz as well.